exhausted.

the train proved to just be too much for this fella....

and those sitting near him? couldn't be the least bit concerned.

wrapping.

who will win... me or the wrapping paper??

merry (early) christmas!

festive.

and more tacky christmas comes to my japanese pad :)

is it bad that i get so excited by glitter??

note: this is the only wreath on the whole building.

christmas in a cup.

this. was. magical.

peppermint ice cream with pop rocks in it.... genius!

it is the little things in life, right??

stepping stone.

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.
Henry Ford

tacky christmas.

And so it begins.....

I missed putting up ornaments with my family this year. This happens to be my FAVORITE ritual. SO, I decided to bring Christmas to my little Japanese home. This year's theme is Tacky Christmas....the shinier, the better!

charlie brown christmas, shiny style!

What a peaceful way to spend my evening... hot coco, christmas candles, a twinkling tree, and The Holiday. I love the Christmas Season!

domestic failure.

Tonight I had a visit from my local Japanese security company.... unplanned. The night's events unfolding:

5:30 Start making dinner.

5:40 Burn bread. (Not great cook.) Smoke detector starts going off. 

5:41 Flailing a towel around at detector.

5:42 Smoke detector still going off. Push button to silence detector.

5:43 Japanese alarm starts making noise and speaking to me. Realize detector hit was gas detector, not smoke.

5:44 Hit buttons to make it silence. Smoke detector still wailing.

5:45 Turn off smoke detector. Call housing agent for help. Enlist help of Japanese neighbor. Neighbor can't fix it.

5:55 Security shows up. Laughs at me. Tells me not to hit detector again.... via translation of housing agent on phone.

Successful night for the blonde Japanese wannabe.